Here is the ACC perspective on losing one of its schools to SEC, if A&M goes:
In each case, it's instructive to remember who makes the decision to switch athletic conferences. University chancellors, presidents and boards of trustees usually are charged with that task.
And while the SEC has won the past five national championships in football, the ACC has finished first among BCS conferences in the NCAA's Academic Progress Ratings in each of those academic years.
Chancellors like to be aligned with other schools that possess highly regarded academic reputations. The big dollars of the SEC are enticing, but having an association with Duke, Wake Forest, Boston College, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Virginia is not to be underestimated when evaluating chancellors' motivations.
Another point is that in terms of football, the ACC schools would put themselves in danger of being considerably less competitive if they joined the SEC. Virginia Tech dominates the ACC but loses almost every time it plays a nonconference opponent of any estimation, with recent defeats coming to Boise State, East Carolina and even James Madison. Florida State gets thumped almost every year by Florida; why join the SEC and get clobbered by a bunch of other football powers, too?
Bottom line, except for the money in the SEC - which is enticing - there aren't many reasons to leave the ACC.
Read more:
Tysiac: ACC shake-up unlikely - College - NewsObserver.comClick to expand...